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Charlie Sands came over to her and stood looking down at her.

“Aunt Tish,” he said. “I believe you. I believe you firmly. I shall not even ask about a young man named Culver, who went to get our marriage license list at the Court House this afternoon and has not been seen since. But I want to bring a small matter to your attention. That policeman had not registered.”

He then turned and went toward the door.

“But I did, dear Aunt Letitia,” he said and was gone.

* * * * *

Tish came to see me the next afternoon, bringing the paper, which contained a glowing account of her gift to the local Red Cross of a fine ambulance. An editorial comment spoke of her public spirit, which for so many years had made her a conspicuous figure in all civic work.

“The city,” it finished, “can do with many like our Miss ‘Tish’ Carberry.”

But Tish showed no exultation. She sat in a rocking chair and rocked slowly.

“Read the next editorial, Lizzie,” she said, in a low voice.

I have it before me now, cut out rather raggedly, for I confess I was far from calm when I did it.

* * * * *

“A SHAMEFUL INCIDENT.

“Perhaps nothing has so exposed this city to criticism as the conduct of Officer Flinn, as shown in a news item in our columns exclusively. Officer Flinn has been five years on the police force of this city. He has until now borne an excellent record. But he did not register yesterday, and on limping into the Central Station this morning told a story manifestly intended to indicate temporary insanity and thus still further disqualify him for the service of his country. His statement of seeing three elderly women kidnap a young girl from in front of the Court House, his further statement of following the kidnappers far into the country, with a young man he cannot now produce, is sufficiently outrageous.

“But, not satisfied with this, the inventive ex-officer went further and added a night in a pigpen, constantly threatened by a savage bull, and a journey of forty-five miles on foot when, early this morning, the animal retired for a belated sleep!

“Representatives of this paper, investigating this curious situation, found the farmhouse which Officer Flinn described as being the den of the kidnappers and which he stated he had left in a state of siege, the bandits and their victim within and the young man who had accompanied the officer, without. Needless to say, nothing bore out his story. A young married couple, named Culver, who are spending their honeymoon there, knew nothing of the circumstances, although stating that they believed that a neighboring family possessed a belligerent bull.

“It is a regrettable fact that the only scandal which marred a fine and patriotic outburst of national feeling yesterday should have involved the city organization. Is it not time that loyal citizens demand an investigation into—-“

* * * * *

“Never mind the rest, Lizzie,” Tish said wearily. “I suppose I’ll have to get him something to do, but I don’t know what, unless I employ him to follow me around and arrest me when I act like a dratted fool.”

She sighed, and rocked slowly.

“Another thing, Lizzie,” she said. “I don’t know but what Aggie was right about Charlie Sands. I’ve been thinking it over, and I guess it was evening, for I remember seeing a new moon just before he came, and wishing he would be a girl. But I guess I was too late. If I’d known about this war, I’d have wished it sooner. I’m a broken woman, Lizzie,” she finished.

She put on her hat wrong side before, but I had not the heart to tell her, and went away.

However, late that evening she called me up, and her voice was not the voice of a broken creature.

“I thought you might like to come over, Lizzie,” she said. “That woman below has told the janitor she is going to pour ammonia water down on my tomato plants tonight, and I am making a few small preparations.”